Taoyu would always remember that last jump. “Three, two, one,” he could still hear his words echoing from the past. He bent his knees and raised his arms alongside Hai, and realized that they were not going to be together, not beyond that water, not in this life. "A brief vision floated through his mind. He could stay on the board. He could leave his life, leave Hai and start over. Almost immediately, he rejected the idea. Taoyu knew that he could not do that to Hai. They had spent their whole lives together and Hai was his closest friend. Hai was the love of his life. Not jumping would mean ruining Hai’s life, everything they had worked for. Taoyu’s only option was to jump, to dive below the water and stay there. He would be trapped in his love for Hai. His life would be a paradox, both lonely yet never alone. He sensed Hai’s muscles tensing, preparing to dive. When the moment came, he jumped. The water enveloped him, the cold water sending chills through his body. H...
Unlike family members, no one is born with friends. Having good friends is important, and it would be impossible to get through life without them. Though it might seem like the only thing that matters with friends is compatibility and the people themselves, there are many outside factors that make friendship one of the most complicated relationships in life. Most friendships can be organized into three basic categories. Friends by environment, friends by chance, and friends by fate. Friends by environment are friends that you make because of being in close proximity to them (for example, friends that you make on a sports team or other after-school activity). Friends by chance are friends that you make purely by coincidence, such as meeting someone on an airplane flight or bumping into them on the street. Friends by fate are people that make it seem like it would be impossible not to be friends with them. These are friends that you always want to be with and that you “click with.”...